Lisa is our founder. Her professional experience as a clinical psychologist along with her personal experience as Arizona Catholic high school student with a hearing loss was what drove her to establish the Arizona Catholic Schools Disabilities Fund (now The Matthew 19:14 Project) in 2014.

As a third-generation native of Arizona, Lisa was the first student to be mainstreamed at her public elementary school due to Public Law 94-162, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. As a result of benefitting from inclusion efforts and an education in faith, Lisa is passionate about ensuring that future generations of Catholic students with disabilities receive the best that education can offer.

Lisa wishes that all children can be successful and productive in sharing their God-given gifts and talents. Grateful for life’s blessings, she enjoys quality time with her husband and their children who she swears grow up too fast. She likes to spend time in the White Mountains hunting the elusive Merriam’s turkey, coaching a high school archery team, baking the perfect thick iced sugar cookie, and researching for her book on Catholic pioneers in Arizona’s wild west.